Sukhee Kang is a Candidate for District 1. This interview was conducted through email in mid-October. Questions and Responses have been edited for clarity and grammar.
Christopher Wong
Why are you running for Council?
Sukhee Kang
Irvine is in its first-ever budget deficit, and the current response is not working. When I learned that a few months ago, I decided I couldn’t sit it out. I balanced this city’s budget through the 2008 recession without a single furlough or cut to core services, and I’d bring that experience back to City Hall. District 1 deserves a representative focused on delivering results and building collaboration amongst the council.
District 1 deserves a representative focused on delivering results and building collaboration amongst the council.
Christopher Wong
What policies are you looking to implement that would affect the day-to-day life of people living in District 1 and the City of Irvine?
Sukhee Kang
Budget Deficit: As long as this budget deficit remains, we will not be able to deliver common-sense results on any other areas of city policy. Part of the solution is to cut the over $4 million in personal council office budgets.
Transit: Make iConnect permanent and expand its routes. It’s been a pilot for nearly three years.
Education & Childcare: Ensure the city supports our youth from childcare through young professional stages, including close partnerships with local businesses and local schools.
Christopher Wong
There are challenges with the budget in Irvine. When you were on council, you enacted cost-saving measures, including cutting positions and strict spending limits. What should be the priorities in how Irvine should spend its budget?
Sukhee Kang
I don’t support furloughs for city staff, who are public servants. We held spending to strict limits through the recession, and we did it without fees, new taxes, employee furloughs, or cuts to core services. My priorities are the same now: protect core services and the employees who deliver them, keep reserves healthy, and fund infrastructure and transit.
My priorities are the same now: protect core services and the employees who deliver them, keep reserves healthy, and fund infrastructure and transit.
What needs to be cut is political overhead. Recent expansions to council budgets created millions of dollars a year for positions for each councilmember, and they often function as political staffers. Reducing those significantly would save our taxpayers millions each year and restore accountability on the council. Today, no other city in Orange County has such a ballooned discretionary budget for its city council.
Christopher Wong
How do those priorities fare with the needs of District 1? What about those of the City?
Sukhee Kang
They line up well. District 1 needs reliable services and more access: transit that reaches more neighborhoods, and a real community center in the district. It should reflect our community and serve our diverse population. Citywide, residents need a stable budget, a safe city, and strong schools. A sound budget is what allows for our district’s concerns to finally matter and be acted upon.
Christopher Wong
How would you handle the Katie Wheeler Library?
Sukhee Kang
District 1 doesn’t have a single community center, so the Katie Wheeler Library and the whole library question give us a real opportunity. We can build a modern, intergenerational library and community center that serves our whole community, from kids to seniors. I’ve brought county, state, and federal support to Irvine on other projects, and I’d seriously consider seeking that support to keep using the Katie Wheeler property in partnership with the county, which owns it. Whether that’s at the Katie Wheeler site or somewhere else, we must bring a state-of-the-art library and community space to the diverse community in District 1.
Christopher Wong
How would you encourage economic development?
Sukhee Kang
I would check in regularly with the employers and Irvine small businesses. We can also do work to connect our colleges and UCI students with local businesses, so graduates build careers in Irvine and bolster our local economy by making sure our youth are able to stay in Irvine. Overall, we need to support diverse small businesses in balance with supporting our local workforce and working families.
Christopher Wong
District 1 is fairly built out, with a lot of the housing butting up against the mountains. How would you handle housing availability in Irvine?
Sukhee Kang
Building more housing is no longer a choice, it’s a mandate. Irvine has met its state housing obligations before, and we have to keep doing it, so the real question is how. We have to get creative about housing that attracts and houses a diverse community including seniors, the “sandwich generation”, families, working professionals, students, and everyone in between. If we only build for one kind of resident, we lose the teachers, city employees, and local workers who make this city run.
Christopher Wong
What kind of city do you want Irvine to become/evolve into?
Sukhee Kang
Irvine can and should live up to its full potential of being a place where people can live, work, and play. Today, many teachers, city employees, and business workers cannot afford to live here, and that has to change. I want Irvine to stay safe, diverse, and welcoming so that it can be the best place to build a life. My vision is an Irvine where our children can afford to return, our seniors can proudly remain, and the American Dream continues for generations to come.